What Is My Grilling Problem?

[HiDesertHal]

I've grilled 5 steaks...2 on a Kettle and 3 on a Gasser: 2 Ribeyes, 2 T-Bones, and a Porterhouse.

I seared them all, resulting in deep grill marks, but they were all overdone...too hard to cut and almost unchewable!

Then I bought a temp. probe and used it on my last beefsteak (the Porterhouse), to see what was going on inside, and sure enough...it was overdone, reading 150 degrees instead of the 125 I was shooting for.

How do I correct this?  Can I have success without searing at all?

Thanks,
HiDesertHal

[HoosierKettle]

Get a 1" cut sirloin, grill for 2 minutes per side, eat it, and stop your whining. [emoji3]


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[1buckie]

Hal.....maybe try out a bit different cut....
I've had a bit of success w/ injecting marinades into larger sirloin type things.....hyena brisket, for example:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/hyena-brisket-w-taterzilla/msg106978/#msg106978



This thing was basically fork tender & way not overdone.....considering my normal "I can't grill stuff @ high heat worth a dang results / mentality", I think it came out decently correct.....

[Bob BQ]

Reverse sear.

[HiDesertHal]

Reverse Sear?

I'll look it up and see what you mean.....

HiDesertHal

[greenweb]

I've grilled 5 steaks...2 on a Kettle and 3 on a Gasser: 2 Ribeyes, 2 T-Bones, and a Porterhouse.

I seared them all, resulting in deep grill marks, but they were all overdone...too hard to cut and almost unchewable!

Then I bought a temp. probe and used it on my last beefsteak (the Porterhouse), to see what was going on inside, and sure enough...it was overdone, reading 150 degrees instead of the 125 I was shooting for.

How do I correct this?  Can I have success without searing at all?

Thanks,
HiDesertHal

If you were checking the temp. why did you let it go pass 125?  Basically, pull them off the fire sooner.  But then you may not get a good searing mark on the outside. If having nice searing mark or crust is important.... you may consider this.

#1: Get the grill hot as possible before throwing on steaks. Check out my latest charcoal setup here. http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/big-thanks-to-mikerockesthered-my-completed-red-ssp-on-deck/.  On your gasser, get it up to max. temp before putting steaks on. Keep the lid on except for flipping and taking them off when done. On my charcoal setup, I flip them every min. or less as not to burn them.

#2: Preparing the steaks.  I usually dry the steaks with paper towel out of the bag and generous amount of salt to dry brine them. Leave them on the rack for about an hr.  It will draw out surface moisture and be really wet. Again, paper towel dry them and make sure they are dry before going on the grill to get a nice sear. If the meat is wet, it take lot of energy to steam off the moisture before any searing action can happen.

Good cut of steaks you have mentioned don't need any marinading. Maybe sirloin. Anyway, as long as you don't over cook should be fine.  You may also consider thicker cut of steaks as they take longer to cook before overdone stage.

I personally think you should go back to charcoal but that is just me.  Just have fun and experiment.

[HiDesertHal]

Hey greenweb,

I let it go past 125 because I didn't know I was letting it go past 125.

Next time, I'll pull it off the grate sooner and check it with the probe.

How about New York Strip steaks? Are they as satisfying as the Ribeye?

I'm still learnng about all this, but I want to keep things as simple as possible, because at my age (81), I'm not the analytical-minded Aerospace Lab Test Engineer I once was.

I looked at websites and videos about Reverse-Searing, and I want no part of it!

"There once was a man from Nantucket,
 whose.............................................,"

HiDesertHal

[1buckie]

Hey greenweb,

I let it go past 125 because I didn't know I was letting it go past 125.

Next time, I'll pull it off the grate sooner and check it with the probe.

How about New York Strip steaks? Are they as satisfying as the Ribeye?

Not to my wife....what might you like?

I'm still learnng about all this, but I want to keep things as simple as possible, because at my age (81), I'm not the analytical-minded Aerospace Lab Test Engineer I once was.

It takes a little bit  of analysis to cook something, anything of merit on a grill of any type....Wendy's Triple Burger is an alternative....

I looked at websites and videos about Reverse-Searing, and I want no part of it!

"There once was a man from Nantucket,
 whose.............................................,"

HiDesertHal

[HiDesertHal]

huh?

HiDesertHal

[demosthenes9]

Hal, first question, how thick are the steaks you are trying to cook ?    2nd question, have you eaten a steak at a restaurant recently that was tender enough for you ?   If so, what was the cut ?

[greenweb]

@ HiDesertHal- New york strip, porterhouse, t-bone, filet mignon/tenderloin, and ribeye are all good grilling steaks. What kind of question is that Hal. You never had a good New york strip steaks before? Make sure to get the best grade meat with lots of marbling for best tenderness and taste. I usually get the top grade steaks on sale at the time but my top choice is the ribeye.

For you Hal, give filet mignon a try as it is the most tender steak. I usually buy the whole tenderloin and cut to about 2.5" to 3" thick steaks. For thick steaks are where searing and indirect cook to desired doneness comes in. Reverse sear meaning exact opposite of what I just described. Not hard at all.

[HiDesertHal]

Hey demosthenes9,

The steaks that I've ruined so far were 1" to 1-1/4" thick. This kept the weight and the cost down for someone just experimenting.

I've tried every steak on the menu at the Desert's top-rated STEER & STEIN steakhouse, and they were all too tough to cut and to chew, even the Ribeye.

The only steak I could eat at that restaurant was the Country-Fried Steak, which was tenderized before cooking.  It was smothered in gravy and was tasty and easy to cut and chew.

BUT it was recently taken off the menu, which leaves me with Fish & Chips or sloppy Baby-Back BBQ Ribs.

They even stopped selling Bud Regular and now offer only Light beers!

However, my wife likes the staff so much that she isn't willing to look for another restaurant.

If I found a place that served tender steaks, I would also get rid of my new Q1200 gasser as well!

My wife could then drag out her trusty George Foreman Electric Grill and I could eat steaks again, without having to fool with any preparation, cooking, or cleaning up, AND they were certainly better than anything I've fumbled with so far!

HiDesertHal  [Who never liked to cook anyway]

 

[blksabbath]

HiDesertHal  [Who never liked to cook anyway]

Honestly you seem like a guy I would love to have a beer with, maybe a bunch of beers with and I'll make you a steak.  I'll make you pizza, chickens of all sorts, vegan delights, bacon wrapped bananas.

The fun in grilling for me is just the fun in grilling.  You mess around and something's work, some don't.

Do you like anything other than steaks of various cuts?  If so, check out the cooking specific sections on this site.  Who knows, you may discover that you are a natural at searing pineapples on your Q or roasting a game hen.

The world is yours my friend.




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[demosthenes9]

Hey demosthenes9,

The steaks that I've ruined so far were 1" to 1-1/4" thick. This kept the weight and the cost down for someone just experimenting.

I've tried every steak on the menu at the Desert's top-rated STEER & STEIN steakhouse, and they were all too tough to cut and to chew, even the Ribeye.

The only steak I could eat at that restaurant was the Country-Fried Steak, which was tenderized before cooking.  It was smothered in gravy and was tasty and easy to cut and chew.

BUT it was recently taken off the menu, which leaves me with Fish & Chips or sloppy Baby-Back BBQ Ribs.

They even stopped selling Bud Regular and now offer only Light beers!

However, my wife likes the staff so much that she isn't willing to look for another restaurant.

If I found a place that served tender steaks, I would also get rid of my new Q1200 gasser as well!

My wife could then drag out her trusty George Foreman Electric Grill and I could eat steaks again, without having to fool with any preparation, cooking, or cleaning up, AND they were certainly better than anything I've fumbled with so far!

HiDesertHal  [Who never liked to cook anyway]

Hal, hate to say it, but presuming that Steak $ Stein didn't totally screw stuff up, if a ribeye is too tough for someone, I'm not sure that any steak cut will work for them.   The most tender cut is a filet, so I guess you could give that a shot.

[EricD]

Hal,  The T-Bone and Porterhouse have two different cuts of meat that cook totally different than each other.  Could be the first issue.
Try cooking the steaks indirect to 10 degrees below what you want to eat it at.  At 5 degrees below, throw them over a HOT fire (or even better a hot cast iron skillet) to sear and bring up to your pull temp. Let it rest for another 5 min and it should be up to 125 by dinner time.
On the toughness issue... If you don't get the results you were expecting with the above method.  It could be the grade of meat your getting. Try getting one step up and see if that changes anything.
Another cure for tough meat is to Sous Vide it first then finish on the kettle.  The longer a protein sits in the water bath the more tender it'll get.
Most importantly...Don't give up.